The investigation and trial of corruption cases in the health sector are moving at a snail's pace, with Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) sources putting the blame on Covid-19 related backlogs and inadequate lawyers.
According to ACC records, the commission has so far filed 14 corruption cases against 36 people in the health sector. However, the chargesheet has only been filed in one case related to the purchase of various instruments, including n95 masks, supplied to different hospitals.
Three of the 14 cases were filed against Mohammad Shahed Karim, alias Regent Shahed, and one case against JKG Healthcare Chairperson Dr Sabrina Chowdhury over fake Covid test certificates. These cases are still under investigation and the accused are behind bars.
Dhaka Tribune could not extract any information from the ACC on the status of the other cases, which were filed on various charges, including Covid testing fraud at private hospitals, embezzlement, irregularities in the purchase of PPE and other equipment, as well as bribery in recruitment.
A total of 11 cases were found on the list with the GRO branch of the court. On condition of anonymity, two ACC commissioners said as many as 22 cases had been filed.
They added that the commission has received over 200 complaints from the health sector, which were being scrutinized before the filing of cases.
According to the commissioners, the ACC has been losing the verdict in some cases due to the weaknesses of the legal and prosecution unit, a reliance on fee-dependent lawyers, lack of skilled manpower, poor investigations, and compromises.
When asked about the nature of the weaknesses, one of the commissioners said: “There may be weaknesses in the case statement. In some cases, the accused got away with it due to faulty charge sheets. Cases are often lost due to lack of evidence, shortage of lawyers, and a lack of monitoring.”
He added that already instructions have gone out on initiating various forms of training to enhance the skills of officials.
ACC lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan told Dhaka Tribune: “Some cases have been filed in the court of the health sector in the last two years, but the commission could not file the chargesheet to the court except in just one case.”
When contacted, former ACC chairman Golam Rahman said the lengthy judicial process is responsible for a non-settlement of the cases.
“The accused are extremely wealthy in most of these cases, so they can easily manipulate the system. The commission cannot do the same,” he added, mentioning that the best lawyers tend to work for whoever pays the most.
“The government wants to end corruption in the health sector. There is no shortage of political will, but it is not that easy to take down people who have illegally accumulated an obscene amount of money,” he further said.
Recently, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), said the success of corruption cases does not only depend on the ACC. It also depends on the degree to which stakeholders in the judicial process are helping the commission, or acting impartially.
“The expectation was to set an example by settling health sector cases like the Regent Hospital Scam quickly. Then the commission would not have come into question,” he said.
On January 31, 2019, the ACC identified 11 areas of corruption in the health sector and recommended 25 points to the Ministry of Health to halt corruption. The ministry has not yet implemented the ACC's recommendations, according to various sources.
The report identifies various sources of corruption in the health sector, including procurement, recruitment, promotion, transfer, posting, medical treatment, use of medical equipment, and supply of medicines.
